Rowley

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name shared by many people ; a place name borne by several towns, including one in Massachusetts and another in England
2. A surname carried by numerous individuals ; the name of several small communities, such as a town in Massachusetts
3. Used as a family name by many people ; also the name given to a few villages and towns in England and the United States

Etymology: Rowley is a place-name word that passed into English as a common noun, built from two Old English elements: "ruh", meaning rough or overgrown, and "leah", meaning wood or clearing. Put together, the pieces describe a rough woodland, the kind of ground where undergrowth has taken over the trees and paths have grown indistinct. The elements survive in many English place-names, which is where the word's identity is most visible. Each part keeps its own meaning, so the name reads as a literal description of the landscape rather than a personal or abstract label. Its use as a common word is a more specialised development, and it is the place-name sense that gives the word its plainest shape.